Everybody's working for the weekend
by sidewinder
Summary: Everybody wants a little romance... (Munch/Fin slash)


_Author's Note: This story was written for ApexOnHigh for the 2016 SVU Summer ShipSwap. It is not necessarily connected with any of my other Munch/Fin stories, although it is an established relationship fic._

* * *

Friday morning, and everyone at the 16th was looking forward to the weekend now that summer was here. Elliot was talking about going to the beach with Kathy and the kids. Olivia had an old college friend visiting who wanted to explore the city and do clichéd touristy things together.

"You know, the Circle Line, the Empire State Building…it should be fun since I never do those things on my own. What are you guys planning for this weekend?" Olivia asked as she turned to Munch and Fin.

The two detectives exchanged glances briefly across their desks. John shrugged and casually replied, "Nothing quite so thrilling or adventurous here, I'm afraid. I might catch up on some books, or try to make it to Shakespeare in the Park tomorrow night if I can get a ticket. How about you, Fin? In the mood for a little 'Taming of the Shrew'?"

Fin gave his partner a weary look. "I'm planning on taming my heels at home. Got some new DVDs to watch and the latest _Call of Duty_ came out this week."

"That's Fin, our Mr. Homebody," John teased. As Olivia and Elliot got to work, John gave Fin a quick, private grin and wink. It was true they didn't have any big plans for the days off, but they did intend to spend the majority of it together—and doing things that their coworkers didn't need to know about in explicit detail. Fin didn't respond except with a slight turn of his lips, a small twitch of a suppressed smile.

The convivial atmosphere in the bullpen was interrupted as Captain Cragen came out of his office. "Okay, everyone, I know it's a Friday and we're all excited to get out of here on time today, if possible. But I've been getting grief from the District Attorney and 1PP about the state of paperwork coming out of this unit. More specifically, a lot of paperwork that's overdue and needed for trial that we're falling behind on."

"Oh boy," John said to himself. Glancing around, everyone had immediately grown serious and wore slightly guilty expressions. _No one_ liked to (in their minds) "waste" the day doing paperwork, and it was true—they all tended to slack off on it until someone was up their asses about needing documentation yesterday, not today.

"We all have to step it up and deal with the backlog of reports before this turns into a major audit," the captain continued, "because if that happens we're going to be putting in overtime to catch up, if not this weekend then next. And don't expect to get paid for those hours because it's not in the budget."

The captain's words met with groans and muted protests. He held up his hands as if to say _don't blame me._ "I know, I know, but unless you have something critical to deal with otherwise, I want everyone to buckle down and get some office work completed today. I'd like to see a nice, tall stack of reports on my desk by six o'clock this evening so we can _all_ enjoy this weekend undisturbed. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Captain," and "You got it" echoed throughout the bullpen as everyone muttered their unhappy but accepting response.

"Great," John sighed, gazing at the precarious pile of manila folders on one side of his desk. Incident report statements needed to be typed up, supplements added to now closed cases… "Want to flip a coin, Fin?"

"Over what?"

"Heads for rape cases and homicides. Tails and you get pornographers and pedophiles."

Fin rolled his eyes and held out his hand. "Just give me somethin' to get started on."

* * *

The morning passed in dreary sullenness all around. None of them wanted to be stuck working on these reports but no new cases came in that had to be addressed, and everyone wanted to make sure they weren't stuck at the 16th over the weekend. The captain, at least, ordered in pizza for everyone for lunch.

John tried to do his best to blast through as many tedious yet not difficult reports as he could, but his concentration kept wavering, slowing him down. He blamed his distraction entirely on Fin, sitting there across from him. It was unusual because generally, he had no trouble keeping his personal emotions and desires in check while on the job. Work was work, and life outside of work was…well, a lot more enjoyable since Fin had come into his life a couple years before. But being stuck at their desks like this was making him fidgety and easily preoccupied by his partner's close (yet out of reach) presence, across the two desks that separated them.

They hadn't had the chance to spend more than one night together this week, so that was likely part of his problem. Fin had caught a case with Olivia on Monday while Elliot was in court, one that had kept him out late several evenings in a row, staking out a suspect's residence and trailing his activities. And then Fin had to show up today wearing one of John's favorite outfits from his work wardrobe: a dusty pink dress shirt under a black vest, a plum-colored tie with light pin-stripes that John had actually bought for him some months before. The rich colors suited him so well and made him stand out in this room full more somber-toned attire. John could happily imagine getting his hands on that clothing later tonight, slipping lose that tie, unbuttoning that shirt slowly to reveal the skin beneath…

Fin glanced up from his paperwork and John looked away immediately, feeling silly and flushed about staring. He was a mature man in his fifties, for God's sake; he should be well past mooning like a lovesick teenager. He busied himself with the witness statement he was typing up from old handwritten notes. When he finished that, he stole a quick peek and found Fin watching _him_ , trying not to smile—which only brought out Fin's all-too adorable dimples in full effect.

Now was Fin's turn to grow embarrassed at being caught staring. Fin lowered his gaze, but John kept watching, waiting for Fin to look up again…which he did, only a few seconds later. John found it hard not to laugh at Fin's "yeah, you caught me" expression. They shared a small moment of mutual defeat, then John looked down at his desk again before he could get lost for too long in his lover's warm eyes.

 _Paperwork. Concentrate._ John struggled to shake off thoughts of anything else so he could get through these blasted files. But as the clock slowly crept toward three o'clock, his determination was beginning to falter. The prospect of three more hours of this tedium became more than he thought he could bear.

He abruptly got up from his desk and went to the coffee station to fill up a paper cup with what was left of the office swill—he liked to keep his mug clean for tea only. He passed their desks and Fin demanded, "Where you off to?"

"I'm taking a short coffee break before my shoulders seize up from being hunched over this desk all day. A few minutes on the roof. Need the toxic city air in my lungs to recharge my brain." He took a sip from his paper cup and held Fin's eyes long enough to make the invitation clear—without being obvious to anyone else, or at least he hoped as much. Understanding dawned but Fin said nothing, only shook his head and went back to work.

* * *

The hot summer air wasn't exactly refreshing—more muggy and stifling. At least up on the roof it wasn't ripe with the smells of car exhaust, hot dog carts and body odor as it would be down on the sidewalk below.

John suddenly found himself wishing he and Fin _had_ planned some kind of getaway for the next two days. A retreat to some postcard-perfect Hudson River town or resort, maybe, or to the beaches of Long Island like Stabler and his brood were planning. Maybe he could still talk Fin into something a little different than their usual time-off routines tonight.

John finished his coffee and threw his paper cup into the trashcan, which was overflowing with more cups, cigarette butts, other remnants of work breaks often taken up here. He walked over to the railing to take in the hazy view, rolling his neck and feeling circulation returning to stiff joints and aching muscles.

After a short time he heard the fire door open and close. He smiled to himself. He didn't have to turn around to know who it was; he simply waited where he stood and in no time felt strong, familiar arms wrapping around his waist. He sighed with contentment as Fin kissed the back of his neck, tickled his skin gently with the neatly trimmed hair of his mustache and goatee.

"Mmm," Fin murmured, the soft purr of his voice so close making John feel several degrees hotter. "Good idea, taking a break out here. You making me crazy today."

"Me? _You're_ the one who showed up looking so good that I want to strip you down and fuck you right on top of our desks."

"Damn." Fin squeezed him tighter and rubbed his lips along the rim of John's ear. "How the hell am I supposed to get through the day when you're giving me ideas like that?" His one hand ran dangerously low, over the front of John's pants.

That possessive touch felt good— _too_ good, John realized with frustrated agony, for the middle of the workday when they really had no way and nowhere to go for a quickie as much as he could use it. He turned around in Fin's embrace to meet his lover's lips for a needy, hungry kiss. Making out would have to suffice for now and that was no great hardship; he loved kissing Fin, the press of those soft lips against his own, breathing in the scent of his musky cologne. Fin rubbed against him, clothes a frustrating barrier but at least their mouths could provide needed intimate contact.

John eventually pulled away a little bit, just enough to appreciate the sight of his lover's sweet and handsome face. Seeing the love reflected back at him in those deep brown eyes was almost too much, sometimes, for he was still a bit amazed at this connection and passion they had found in each other.

Other people probably wouldn't understand them and their relationship, he knew. Some days he didn't quite understand it himself. But if things kept going like this—as he certainly hoped they would—someday they would to have to come out to their coworkers. For now it still seemed best to keep it quiet, though, not risk losing each other as partners on the job when John especially had no desire to have to start over with a new junior partner ever again.

"What's brewing in that head of yours?" Fin asked, a playful note in his question.

"Nothing important," John dismissed. "Although before you came up, I was contemplating the idea of you, me, and a last minute excursion from New York City for the weekend."

"Where you have in mind?"

"Nowhere in particular. Somewhere with cool breezes, greenery not restricted to city park limits, and…maybe some decent fucking crabs. That's one thing I miss about Baltimore. Hell, I'd even go to _Jersey_ for some blue crabs this weekend."

"Damn, you are desperate for a vacation." Fin grinned and gave John another kiss, this one tender and soft. "I've been thinking this afternoon too, but about something else."

"Uh oh," John said at Fin's slightly more sober expression. Worry always lurked in the darker corners of his mind that something was going to go wrong and cost him this newfound love.

But Fin assured him quickly, "Shush. Ain't nothing bad. More about how it's getting to be a drag, you having your place, me having mine, and we're not even in the same borough of the city. Like the last few nights, missed spending even a few hours with you alone, you know?"

"I know."

"What about…don't have to rush it or nothing, but what do you think of maybe starting to look for a place we could share?"

"You mean, move in together?" John asked, wanting to be perfectly clear about what he thought he was hearing.

"Yeah."

"You really think we wouldn't drive each other homicidal?"

"I think if it ain't happened so far, chances are pretty good we could make it work," Fin said. "Long as you keep your conspiracy books and all that shit in one room so I don't have to constantly see it."

"And you keep all your video games in another?"

Fin smirked. "Guess we'll need a pretty big place. Might be kind of hard in the city, I know."

"You and me settling down in the wilds of suburbia might be even harder to picture." John attempted to envision the two of them in a quaint house together in Queens, with people like the Stablers as their neighbors. Or out on Staten Island, dealing with being an interracial gay couple in one of the more old fashioned ethnic communities out there. Somehow he had his reservations about how well _that_ might work.

"Maybe," Fin admitted. "But it's getting to be I hate going home without you. Sleeping alone…"

"It sucks," John readily finished for him.

"Yeah. So what do you think…like I said, no rush but maybe this Sunday we could take a look at the _Times_ and check out a couple open houses? See what's around to rent…or maybe even a condo that's not crazy expensive."

"You'd seriously consider buying a place with me. John Munch, the man who could practically be the patron saint of failed relationships and poor financial decisions."

"Who is also the man I love and want to wake up to every morning."

John could feel the glow of happiness spreading across his own face. "When you put it that way, who am I to say no?" He leaned in for another kiss, lovingly taking Fin into his own arms. They hadn't been together for _that_ long, but already it felt right to him in a way he couldn't recall feeling ever before. And he didn't want that feeling to ever go away.

He sighed, pulling away at last, still aggravated that they'd have to wait at least a few more hours before sharing any other kinds of affection. "Guess we'd better head inside before they send out a search party. I'll go down first."

Fin nodded. "I'll be there in a couple, after a pit stop in the men's room."

"Good idea." John started to walk back to the door. "Hey," he called, pausing to look back at Fin.

"What?"

"I love you."

Fin smiled, those dimples escaping control once more. "Love you too, don't ask me why."

"Dirty crabs in Jersey, or house hunting this weekend. Your call."

"Go to work, John."

John grinned, looking forward to it either way.


End file.
